The present invention relates to a method, and also to a kit, for the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis.
Rhinitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the nose, producing a watery discharge. It may be caused by an infection (e.g., common cold), by an allergy (e.g., hayfever), or by an unknown cause (e.g., vasometer rhinitis). The diagnosis of infectious rhinitis can usually be done without difficulty, but it is more problematic to distinguish between allergic rhinitis from non-allergic rhinitis. The techniques presently used usually involve measuring nasal airway resistance by equipment which is relatively expensive and requires expertise for operation, and which is therefore generally not available in the offices of physicians or smaller clinics. Failure to distinguish between allergic rhinitis and non-allergice rhinitis also causes difficulties in determining whether or not a particular rhinitis condition is treatable at all, or whether a particular treatment administered to the patient has been effective, particularly in the case of children which tend to deny that they are suffering from a disease.